Spirit of the Word - Covenant Eschatology - Introductory Note - New Stuff
First Things
(Preparations For the Third Day)

Forward

Dear reader, you will forgive us for having only words to offer you.  Words that will surely seem foolish to some of you and 'far out' to others of you.  But that is the nature of words.  They have only that meaning you attach to them and the power over you that you allow.  Which is as it should be.  My thoughts may not be your thoughts nor my impressions compatible with yours.  Which is also as it should be.  No man has the right either to coerce or to compel another to follow after precepts that are contrary to him.  The freedom to choose and to discriminate between this symbol and that one is one of the most precious freedoms we still enjoy.
And, in the main, it is symbols that we deal with.  Religious symbols such as words, ideas, theories concerning the nature of God and what part man plays in whatever plan or purpose that He (God) may have as touching the earth.  We may not think of our religious experience as theoretical but for the most part, it is.  It's a philosophy of life.  It is a belief system.  Is the belief true?  Is the philosophy a correct one?  Can the theory be transferred from the drawing board and be 'proven' in the field?
Again, in the main, we do not concern ourselves with such matters.  We are content to live in and amongst the symbols.  This small work is dedicated to those rare souls who can't be content with the symbols and cannot be satisfied without discovering for themselves whether or not 'these things be true'.  Perhaps it will appear that I am being facetious when I speak of the following as being 'first things'.  I assure you that I am not.  It is only that we have (as our forefathers did) come over against Canaan in the first instance but have been persuaded by the fearful and unbelieving parts of us to turn aside and into the wilderness of wanderings.  And when our faith left, it took with it the best parts of our inheritance and the concepts that would have sustained us should we have had the necessary courage to give heed to Joshua and to go on in with Caleb.
But we didn't. And we became religious instead of spiritual.  And that is why the memory of the former things has left us.  And why they now appear as 'first' things.
Reconciliation.
Virtue.
Sovereignty.
Power.
No amount of wandering will save us.  And Moses?  No, Moses will not be going in with us (thankfully for the Christian [ed.]).  But all of the 'old men' are dead now and the crossing over is imminent.
And so we write.
"After two days will he revive us: in the third day he shall raise us up, and we shall live in his sight".

Reconciliation
"....Be Reconciled To God"

Alienation.
The feeling that no one cares . . enough.  Bad enough when dealing with family or friends, intolerable when the gulf that is fixed is between you and your God.
And so religion.
Which purposes to remove the feeling and to unfix the gulf.  But the Jehovah God of the Old Testament (whose image the most of us are still bowing down to) is much too caught up with himself and much too attached to the razor­strap theory of child-rearing to close the gap.  He wrings his hands about the separation he feels from his children and why they don't write home any longer. . but does little to really win them back.  Indeed, the onus is put on them. They aren't doing right . . they should be more respectful . . they should follow his instruction more carefully, etc.  Just what am I to you, He asks them:
"A son honors his father and a servant his master: if I then be a father, where is my honor?  And if I be a master, where is my fear?"
Where, indeed?
But Jehovah made few friends and those who really loved him were fewer still.  Indeed, the only man we have any record of who was ever able to really 'bridge the gap' was David.  David saw something, or knew something, or felt something that the others didn't.  His ability to over look and to see beyond brought him face to face with a God of love and mercy.
Behind the mask and past the personna, David pressed his way into the very heart of God.
He wasn't alienated any longer.
Later, the son of David (Jesus) made the same trip and came to the same conclusion.  But (it is said) He did not make the journey only for himself and for his own peace of mind.  No. It is reported that, as He went from alienation to reconciliation, He gathered up the stones and made straight the crooked paths ... indeed, became the Way over which men journey as they go from one image of God to another.
It is not a simple matter.
It has never been a simple matter, whatever the religionists tell you, this trip from one conception of God to another.
Over 1900 years of tradition stand between 'here' and 'there'.
And that's just counting the Christian era.
And there's not that many Davids around to counter the prevailing view.
And so the sadness continues and the emptiness of our lives testifies to the fact of our continued alienation, despite the proclamations of Jesus  and the explanations of the New Testament writers.
So much for the corporate.  It is obvious that, as a people, we have not as yet overcome the 'image' problem that we have had with our God.  Our attitudes, our actions, our churches and synagogues, our orders of worship, all bear witness to the fact that we are estranged.  God is still 'out' there or 'up' there.  His image is still that of an angry, vengeful
God . . one who must be placated through sacrificial service.
Of course we would never say as much but that is what we project.  And our actions speak so loud that the world cannot hear what we are saying.  But He (God) is not mean-spirited or vengeance-minded.  His hands do not drip blood and He doesn't eat little children for breakfast . . or so Jesus said.  Indeed, He isn't angry with anyone, with the possible exception of the one who is really behind all of the evil in the world, i.e. the devil.  It was a hard sell.  And continues to be.
But one of the contentions that Jesus made was that He (Jesus) was personally acquainted with the Fellow they were dealing with . . That he 'knew' Him. . and that the others didn't. . including the wisest of the wise, i.e. the Pharisees, the priests, the elders, even the members of the Sanhedrin itself.  They may have heard rumors, and, of course, they had studied the historical records, but THEY DID NOT KNOW HIM!  As a consequence of that simple fact (him being the only one who really 'knew' God) Jesus maintained that his was the truer picture and that his imaging of God was more accurate than their imaging of God. (How encouraging indeed to us all, we who have our share in the 'after those days' covenant of Hebrews 8: "They shall not teach every man his neighbor and every man his brother, saying know the Lord: FOR ALL SHALL KNOW ME, from the least to the greatest.")
Now the old imaging of God and the ancient concepts concerning Him are not mysteries to any of us.  The concepts are as old as Moses is old and Mt. Sinai is old.  They are the concepts that postulate an angry God and a rigid curriculum.  A curriculum whose strict observance is essential to a man's health and well-being.  They are the concepts that have ruled the minds of men for literally thousands of years, interrupted only here by the birth of Jesus and the ministry of Paul, and there by the bold babblings of the Mad Monk of Whittenberg.
They are the concepts that reject the basic tenet of individual freedom before God, espoused by Paul and by Martin Luther.  And they are the concepts that are always ready to do battle with anyone and everyone who dares to question and/or contend with them.
As they did with Jesus.
And when it boiled down to it, it was a matter of words.  His words against their words.  And it did little to address the root causes of alienation, and convinced only a few that what he said was true and what they (the religious leaders) said was not.  Even with the miracles, even with the life-force he manifested, even then.  Nobody goes through a lifetime of religious rote and ritual, brings his sacrifices and pays his dues to Abstract God . . and then leaps to a totally different
perspective . . just because an itinerant rabbi brings his magic show to town.
Nobody.
Will, hardly anybody.
He may well accept the benefits, i.e. the physical hearings and the 'loaves and fishes'.  But the Jehovah God of the Old Testament is simply not going to become a loving and merciful Father-God to someone just because someone else touts Him as such, no matter who that someone else is.  Now the someone doing the testifying may have that kind of relationship with his God but the vast majority of those who came up under the old system would have a long row to hoe before coming to the same conclusion as he.
And they did.
And the Apostle, though armed with great revelation and boundless enthusiasm, had a most difficult time explaining the new concept.  Indeed, the turnaround did not come in his generation and the mind-set of the Jews was such that he finally decided to seek greener pastures and more fertile fields for his ministry.  I go to the Gentiles, he said.  I will tell them of a loving father and a merciful God and the cross of Christ.
Perhaps they will hear and perhaps they will understand, Perhaps the unchurched and the unskilled in religious matters will be able to grasp the concepts that the majority of the children (the Jews) can not.
And they did . . at least a large contingent of them.
And now us.
We who were born 'under the law' as surely as Jesus was.
And have made our sacrifices and paid our dues (tithes).  And have  tried  our best to obey our instructors and to heed our 'tutors and governors'.  We have served dutifully.  We have followed after conscientiously.
And we have waited ...
We have waited for the promises to be fulfilled . . for the fire to fall and the sacrifice we have made to be consumed.  But most of all we have been waiting to find out what David found out.
And what did David find out?
Basically, it was that God was different 'close up' than He was 'afar off'.  That was the first thing.
The second thing was how close can we really get to Him?  Just what kind of relationship are we talking about here?
And it took the son of David to answer that one.
It is obvious that our alienation can never really come to an end until something gives.  And if Jehovah God is as inflexible and as demanding as His image and His history suggests, we may as well forget the whole thing.  Nobody is going to warm up to a Cosmic Law or the Enforcer of that Cosmic Law.  And no one is going to be in a hurry to cozy up to a tribal Deity who can't seem to make up His mind if He wants to save His children or destroy them.
And so the testimony of David is crucial.
For it was David who first found the chink in the armor of God.
It was he who first discovered that things were not quite as they seemed to be and what Moses had said about God was not necessarily the last word nor even the definitive word on the subject.  You might even say that David discovered the soft 'underbelly' of Jehovah God.  He found out that, despite the implacable and unyielding demands of the law, at the heart, God was a God of mercy.
Oh, my.
A God of mercy.
Who would've thunk it?
Certainly not Sodom or Gomorrah . . or Achan, for that matter.
Or those folks the earth swallowed up. .
Or Pharoah, or the prophets of Baal, or Jezebel.
But David did think it.
And David did experience it.
He experienced a God of Mercy.
And gave us all, for the very first time, the hope that the law of "sin and death" (as Paul called it) could actually be repealed.  That retribution did not follow as closely on the heels of transgression as we had been taught.  And that mercy might even (oh, wondrous thought) "rejoice against judgement" . . triumphing over it in the end.
Such as when you made your bed in 'hell'.
David was the first to tell us that, even there, God was present!  "If I ascend up into heaven, You are there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there." Thank you, David.
It is a good first step.
Your characterization of God as a merciful god helps.  It helps a lot.
It makes us feel a bit closer to Him.  It softens the hard edges of our concept of Him.  It makes our alienation from him a bit easier to bear and the possibility of our getting together somewhere down the line something to consider.
But we need more.
We need more than words.
Even your words, David.
We need experience.  In the field, hands on, personal experience.  We need to go beyond Sabbath Day theorizing and philosophizing.
And the testimony of others.
Even yours.
In a very real sense, we need to eat the 'showbread' and not be zapped for it.  We need to lose our moral bearings (as you did) and to feel the shame and bitter remorse that you did because of it . and still come out of the experience with a sense of belonging and relationship.  We need to make our own bed in 'hell' (as you did) and discover the most incredible thing of all, i.e. that even there we are not forsaken, and, even there, our God is present with us.  Oh, my.
To know that the Fourth Man is always in the fire with us, whether we jump in or are pushed in!
Oh, my.
Well done, David.
We are well on our way to discovering what you discovered and finding out what you found out.  And it has changed our conception of God considerably. But from alienation to reconciliation?
A fire-eating dragon He may not be.  Nor even a Cosmic Curmudgeon.  But He still has some things to answer for.  And a long way to go before the matter is  settled between us.
Which brings us to our second question.
Just what kind of relationship are we talking about here?  A forgive and forget, you go your way and I'll go mine?  A king and His subject thing?  A God and His people?
What?
Surely He cannot expect more than that, given the circumstances, and the historical perspective.  His reputation doth proceed Him!  And the best evidence suggests that He is, at best, schizophrenic in His dealings with the peoples of the earth . . even His 'chosen ones'.  Again, the best evidence suggests that even when He does love them He loves them . . to death.  Little wonder that he is 'in the dock' of our minds!
And the witnesses against Him fill the courtroom.
Little wonder that the world, in general, has already found Him guilty.  The case against Him is formidable indeed.
Unless ... Unless, at the eleventh hour, the defense, ala Perry Mason, can come up with a Surprise Witness.  Unless he can show, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the case against His client is based on rumor, conjecture, and downright deceitfulness.  And that the primary witness for the prosecution is mistaken . . or worse.
Unless He can come up with a reasonable alternative.
Some say that faith takes care of everything.  I say no.  It may postulate for you a God of love and mercy but that is by no means the end of the matter.  Unless, somewhere, somehow, that faith of yours leads you to knowledge.  Unless you come to know, rather than just believe, the dream continues to be just a dream and the prophecy remains unfulfilled and the hope unrealized If faith is, indeed, the "substance of things hoped for", it must, at some point, give way to that which is hoped for.  And if faith is, indeed, the "evidence of things not seen", it simple must produce, eventually, the corresponding form, i.e. that 'seen' or visible manifestation.
It is a mistake to think of the mystical only.
For in the religious place, mysticism quickly becomes superstition and honest and true dealings with the Spirit of God turns to an association with those entities which 'peep and mutter'.
Which are multiplied in this present age.
And whose 'lying wonders' are always with us, especially when and where men gather, in the name of religion, to tell stories and to invent stratagems.  And which is always, in the name of truth, bearing witness against the truth.  Whose function is to present an 'image' of God so at variance with the truth as to make it impossible for us to be truly reconciled to Him.
" ..be reconciled to God."?
Not likely.
Unless someone comes along who really and truly knows (has an intimate relationship with and personal knowledge of) God.
And who can throw the lie in the teeth of those who misrepresent and bear false witness.  Unless and until that occurs, reconciliation is only a dream and reunion an impossibility.
We simply will not be able to 'love' God until and unless He becomes 'lovable' to us.
And so we have the story, the Phenomenon the scriptures refer to as the Son of Man, Jesus of Nazareth, the Surprise Witness.  Who set about to tear down and to destroy the case against Jehovah and to place into evidence his own testimony as to the true nature of God.  And to construct an image of God different from the others.
The surprise witness.
Sent to refute.  Sent to rebut.  Sent to set the record straight.
Good for Him.  And good for those who were given to hear Him.
But that was then.
And this is now.
And we are here.
And we need more than a once-upon-a-time and the re-telling of a story, no matter now uplifting and how truthful that story may be.  For we are also troubled by the testimony of our senses and we have also heard the rumors and been beset by contradiction.
And we need Him to speak to us today and to counsel with us in this hour!  We need His rebuttal.  We need His explanation.  We need Him to tell us why this occurred and why that come to pass.  We need Him to reconcile all of the conflicting testimony that we have heard . . and felt . . and seen . . and experienced.
Only then can reconciliation occur.  Only then can fear leave and a more positive relationship begin.
Only then.
That Jesus Christ was the beginning of that reconciliation is evident.  And that it was His mission (or one of them) to walk and to talk and to testify concerning the true nature of God to His generation, we are  agreed.  With both words and deeds He demonstrated the fact that God  was neither unfeeling nor uncaring.  And that He was not the petty tyrant the religionists of His day made Him out to be (or the way some still do today [ed.]).
He did a good job.  And to those who were given to hear his words, the image of God (the conception of God they had grown up with) was changed.  Perhaps not as perfectly as might have been wished, perhaps not as completely as Paul would have had it, but it did change ... And, until now, it has been sufficient.  It has been enough.
The interim working of God through Christ has been sufficient.  Until now.
For it is written that the "testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy", i.e. one of the missions of Jesus of Nazareth was to set the stage for the next 'coming forth' of God.  And, although two thousand years (more or less) might intervene, to place everything in it's proper context and to make possible both the fulfillment of the 'second' day and the bringing in of the 'third'.
And so He did.
Beautifully.
Perfectly.
But the kind of reconciliation that He spoke of has never been and the relationship he preached about has still to be realized.
But it will be.
For the second day ends.
And the third day begins.
And one of the first things will be a sense of reconciliation.
A reconciliation that will be total in it's concept and, eventually, in it's working out.  In the mind, in the emotions, in the physical . . reconciliation.  No part of our being at odds with our God.
The seventh chapter of Romans experience will have done it's thing and the grace of God that came "by Jesus Christ" will have finished with us.  And there will be no room for that which is contrary, that which is alien, that which serves the "law of sin".  For the last appearing of God to us will be "without sin", i.e. without the 'conscience' of sin that has always separated between us and our God.  Indeed, there is special mention made in the covenant itself that assures us that this last barrier to fellowship will be removed ...
"Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more..."
There has always been controversy over the methods God has used to bring us to this good place in Him.  Were it not for the two witnesses God has placed in the earth, the grace of God might well have become simply another doctrinal issue for religious man to quarrel over.  But Paul did say and Martin Luther did confirm that God had provided a more perfect way for man to approach the Unapproachable, God.
And the approach they recommended has worked.  And every man who has truly believed "on the Lord Jesus Christ" will have his faith in Him vindicated and will receive the promised end of that faith . . the "salvation of your (their) soul".  And when that is accomplished and the man (spirit) and the woman (soul) walk together, the child (body) will no longer be at odds with itself and will join in the celebration.

  The Addition Of Virtue
". . .Add To Your Faith, Virtue. . ."

In the midst of the twentieth century a religious revival swept over the United States, parts of Canada, and various other sections of the world.  It became known popularly as the Latter Rain Revival.  Most traditionalists opposed it, either actively or passively, and for good reason.  It threatened the status quo as few other movements in the twentieth century had.  Ministers who had been members in good standing of various established denominations suddenly felt the call to greener theological pastures.  And, as in all revivals, obscure and little known actors were thrust center stage.  Small assemblies suddenly became large assemblies and large assemblies began to overflow.  A pastor who couldn't pay his light bill . . before, contracted with a dozen radio stations for air time . . after.  And so it went.  Sunday morning services turned into all day meetings which turned into all week meetings, etc.
Where did all the people come from?  No one really knows.  But come they did.  And when they did, they found themselves caught up in a real, honest to God religious phenomenon.  A phenomenon some thought to be the last great revival to visit the earth before the judgements of God were poured out.  Others said it was the 'harvest' rain, that which precedes the ingathering.  But whatever it was called and whatever it's purpose, no one who was a part of it will ever forget it and the profound effect it had on them, their outlook and their lives thereafter.  Something of consequence had happened . . something elemental ... not the least of which was a reorientation of attitude and concept.  God became personal again and the entire God-man relationship was redefined.  The mechanisms use to effect that re-definition were strange and even bizarre to the onlookers.  People spoke with new 'tongues'.  Other people laid their hands on people and prophesied over them.  Physical hearings were reported and various other 'miracles' claimed.
All in all, not a time for the 'wise and prudent' but for the hungry and thirsty and the spiritually poor and needy.
And then there were the doctrines.  One in particular ... the doctrine of the 'grace of God'.  It was the centerpiece, the cornerstone.  It was that around which all of the other parts of the movement gathered.  Not since Martin Luther was there such an exposition of the Pauline Doctrine of the cross of Christ and the benefits derived by those who embraced it.  It was as if the two witnesses lived again and cried out once more against ecclesiastical tyranny, and caused to be re-instated the God-given right of every man to approach God for himself.  Once more a man could become 'just' before God and, once more, that 'just' man could live "by faith".
The Grace of God.
Quite possibly the most potent of the doctrines of Christianity.  And the most misunderstood.
It depended, of course, on where you stood.  On whether you were looking at it from the inside (as a participator in) or from the outside (and could see only the outward appearance of it and the seeming effects it had on peoples lives).
Which were considerable.
Some took their freedom and ran with it.  One lady who had been especially heavy-laden and oppressed by the 'carnal commandments' of religion was reported to have said that she had handled every one of those G.D. snakes (a reference to the serpents spoken of in Mark 16:18) and that none of them had hurt her.  Others were not so flamboyant but were equally thrilled at the experiencing of a mercy-oriented God.  Some dropped out of seminaries and others out of proscribed religious ritual.  Another described in some detail just how the grace of God had revealed itself to him by the Holy Spirit.  He said he was given an example, an allegory.  Riding with some friends down a country road one day, he happened on to some ranchers driving their horses to new pasture.  Beset before and behind, the horses reared and bucked, their wall eyes reflecting the terror they felt at being forced down the very narrow and very dusty road.  On each side were the barbed wire fences.  Behind them the jeep and the shouting ranchers and the blaring horn.  Before them another vehicle to see to it they did not escape down the road but would be forced into the gate which opened into the pasture they were headed for.
Force, fear, confusion.
And then, finally, as Paul so beautifully set down for us, the gate was
opened into a pasture far and wide.  And, as the young man watched, the horses entered their new pasture, and with a whinny of pure joy (and, one would expect, of considerable relief) they ran into the new pasture and danced and cavorted and neighed the one to the other.  Mr. Ed might be the only one who would really know what they were saying and feeling and, as such, the only one who could translate or interpret for us.  But their relief was obvious and their pleasure a pleasure to see.
Freedom.
One fellow swears that the grace of God revealed itself to him in  another  very unusual way.  While walking down the street of a certain mid-western city one day, a 'voice' spoke to him . . a voice that informed him that he had "come up wrong" . . whatever that might mean to a man who had been a minister for many years.  However, he soon found out what it meant.
Boy, did he ever!
And, although he would never think of himself as being orthodox, it soon became obvious to him that he had, indeed, been birthed into religious being (as Paul put it) "under the law", i.e. his attitudes and behavioral patterns were those instilled in him by the legalists of his particular persuasion.
Well, it didn't take long for those 'hedges' to be removed.  And all of the will power he could muster did not keep him from entering that dark 'night of the soul' the Apostle described for us in the seventh chapter of Romans.
Finally, with his ability to 'hold on' diminished considerably, he was forced to acknowledge the truth which was the point of the whole operation in the first place:
I hold not the Rock, but the Rock holds me!  Or, as our friend Paul has put it: "Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound."
Of course, you would have had to have been there . . as many were.  And no one who has been immersed in the freedoms offered at the cross of Christ will speak lightly of the grace of God or will he or she give it up except under the most extraordinary circumstances.  It is simply too precious a gift.  The price paid by the man Jesus was much too high to ever treat the subject frivolously or to surrender it without the most compelling of reasons.  It is the only working of God that has ever come close to producing in the individual believer that which God has always longed for, a heart that is after His.
No.
The road to Calvary and beyond is a trip fraught with uncertainty, pain, frustration, doubtings, and fear.  No one who has made it will ever forget it and the peace with God that he has at long last found is priceless.  He will not sell it for reputation or material gain.

But he will offer it back to the God who has become his father!
And nothing, yea, nothing proves the point that God has made through the offering of His Son more than this simple act:
I know that I am free, Father.  I understand that you have fully and completely forgiven me and that I shall never come into condemnation before you, whether in this world or the next.
I am aware (oh, blessed awareness) that my sins are gone and that (as far as I am concerned) death and hell have both been swallowed up.
Yes, I know that, Father.
1 know the year of Jubilee is come and that my servitude is at an end.
I know that, Master.  But you see, Master, something has happened to me while I was in your service . . something strange . . something that makes even my freedom, my precious freedom, pale in comparison.  Something that impels me to offer myself to you and to desire to serve you forever.  No more years of Jubilee for me, no more opportunities for me to escape my fate.  No, Master, put your mark on me.
I would be yours forever!
Paul speaks of being enslaved.  This man who knew and reveled in the concepts of freedom more than any other. . before or since.  "All things are lawful to me" is the statement of a man who has discovered the meanings of the cross like few (if any) others.  And to keep on 'keeping on' after enduring the mental and emotional torment described by him in the seventh chapter of Romans is to acknowledge the grace of God (that came by Jesus Christ) in extraordinary fashion.
And yet he speaks of servitude and his position as a slave.
We may find that a bit incongruous (inconsistent) or, as our friend Peter, feel that this man speaks of things (at times) "hard to be understood".  But I think not.  To go through the experience is to understand it.  And to understand it is to glorify God because of it.  For we who are "alive and remain" are asked the same questions and given the same opportunity:
You gods, will you now offer back to me your godhood?  You free men, will you now become my slaves?
It is not a small thing.
It is not a frivolous matter.
You who know the scriptures will remember the example of Abraham.  Abraham, who received the promise of an heir from God and who waited awhile for the promise to be fulfilled.  While he was waiting, he found himself in circumstances that tried his personal integrity, and, on a least one occasion, found him wanting.  Forced by famine to go 'down' into Egypt, he feared that the ruler of Egypt would find his wife Sarai a 'fair woman' to look upon and would take her for his own.  And that he, if it were known that he was her husband, might find his own life in jeopardy.  And so he said to Sarai, "Say, I pray, you are my sister . . ."
Not a worthy sentiment, fear.
And not a worthy practice, lying and being deceitful.
The years passed.  Still there was only talk from the occasional angel of God and only promises from His messengers.  And Abram (for such his name at the time) got a bit weary with the waiting and 'went in unto Hagar'.  According to the record, he was approximately eighty-six years of age at the time and evidently had come to the conclusion that God could use a bit of help.  Besides the which, it had been such a long time since the word of the Lord had come 'unto him'.. and the promise had been made to him ...
Thirteen year later, however, Abram discovered that God was not (as the New Testament writer has it) "slack concerning his promises" although, to be sure, His train does not always run on our time.
Instead, the "Lord appeared unto Abram" one more time.
And this the interesting thing that the Lord God said to Abram at this particular time: "I am the almighty God; walk before me, and be perfect.
It was not the same speech that the messenger from God had delivered on the other occasions.  No, this one was different.  This one had to do, not with promises, but with fulfillments.  And this speech began with "I am the almighty God, WALK BEFORE ME AND BE PERFECT.."
And so it was that a ninety-nine year old found out that there was something distinctly different about the time of promises and the time of the fulfillment of those promises.  And the time of the changing of names and the times of covenants being established.  Abram became Abraham, the friend of God, before the covenant was ever established and before the promised 'seed' came forth.
Abraham did not go down into Egypt after that nor did he ever again lie about his relationship to his wife.  Ever.
" . . . walk before me and be perfect . . ."
Paul also speaks of an entrance into a spiritual dimension that he calls the 'kingdom of God'.  And he informs us that we would be kidding ourselves if we thought that we would be able to claim that inheritance of ours while still practicing thievery, fornication, drunkenness, etc.
Does he then speak against the grace Of God or seek to bring us back under the law of 'sin and death'?  No. Not in the least.
He is simply saying that as we approach our inheritance, there will be a working that will purge and sanctify and make us fit subjects of that great kingdom.  And then our friend Peter.
Who writes of a time when faith has done it's perfect work in us, i.e. when grace has been thoroughly tested.  Some have no concept of such a thing, not having tasted of that divine gift.  One might even say that Peter did not realize it's full potential nor exercise it as freely as some.  But he did recognize that his colleague and fellow-apostle did have a revelation from God.  He also recognized that all of us did, indeed, owe our very salvation to the concept of the loving kindness (grace) of God that comes to us "through faith".
But he also foresaw that faith would be followed by another working, and another, etc. . . . "And besides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith . . virtue . . ."
" . . .add to your faith, virtue. . ."
It is very easy to misunderstand the words.  Indeed, the admonitions of the apostles throughout the New Testament scripture are always open to misinterpretation and misrepresentation.  Why?  Because the entire scroll subjects us all to the most rigorous of testings.  What we see there, reflected back at us, is not really what is 'there' but what is 'here', i.e. in our own minds and in our own hearts.  If grace has not done it's work and if we have not truly become 'spiritually-minded' . . the exhortations of Paul and of Peter and James will have the same flavor as those which once issued from Sinai.  And the same power over us when we hear them, and the same temptation will rise in us, the temptation to return to our 'vomit' and our "wallowing in the mire", that is, allow ourselves to be brought back into bondage to the law.
And then we will begin to labor, again, and to work, once more, simply because Paul says 'don't do that', and Peter says for us to 'do' the other.
Oh, my.
But that is only if the grace of God that came to us 'by faith' has not done it's work in us.  For, if it has, we will understand that we will never again come into condemnation but are already passed 'from death unto life' . . whatever advice Paul may give and whatever orders Peter might have issued.
For we are the "children of promise"!
And everywhere and in every place that admonitions are given and suggestions are made, there will be the divine grace to comply.  For that which 'bids us fly' does also 'give us wings'.
And every demand that is made of us will be met and every challenge answered.  When Paul tells us not to deceive ourselves . . we won't, and when Peter calls on us to add virtue, we will.  And every commandment become a promise of fulfillment, even the most terrible and impossible one of all ... "you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind."
Of course, you shall.
But, first, you might just want to "add to your faith, virtue."

Sovereignty

The concept of Sovereign God is not a new one.  Indeed it is a concept that all of us give lip service to.  But to actually crown Him 'lord of all' is another matter, i.e. to live as if it is a concept that is in every place and at every time true is a proposition that most of us are most wary of.  And with good reason.  For one thing, some of our most cherished articles of faith would become suspect the moment we started down that road.
Take the Adversary, for instance.  Satan has captured our imagination as surely as God has.  And most of us would appear to have believed in the existence of and in the power of the devil as strongly and as completely as we have the existence and the power of God.  Indeed, our imaging of Beelzebub provokes in us strong and enduring emotion.  And it is the rare soul, indeed, who has not, at one time or the other, testified as to their faith in him and in his powers, i.e. the devil made me do it.  It is simply a given with the most of us that there is not one but two powers in the universe.  Of course, we would hasten to add that the 'good guys' do out-number the 'bad guys' and that the majority (the two-thirds of the angels who remained faithful) are going to whip up on the one-third who rebelled.
Eventually.
Good to have the odds in our favor, I suppose.
But once we come to Sovereign God, all bets are off and all such considerations are beside the point.  And when man is faced with the 'awful' truth that there never has been a contest (in the true sense of the word) he is compelled, even against his will, to deal with the fact of Ultimate Responsibility.  Meaning he won't have the devil to 'kick around' any longer.  Or our wives (husbands), our strengths (or weaknesses), or status in life, etc.
No.
It will be God, Sovereign God "with whom we have to do".
Job knew.
As did David.
As so shall we.....
Discover that God has many faces and, in effect, plays all of the parts Himself.  As in the poem:

Ah, He seeks to fool me today!
He shows a face of gloom and sadness,
And wears it quite well.
Were it not I know His shape and His manner. .
Ah, but I do, and straightway find Him out
And the game is done.
There was a time I did not know
And He fooled me once or twice.
I thought the pain was real, the tearings
of the soul, the darkened vale.
But now I see, oh, blessed sight . .
Where He is, there is no night!

Sovereignty.
One of the proclamations still to be made.
A proclamation that will become a demonstration.  Even as it is written: "We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was and who is to come: because You have taken great power, and reigned."
A reason for great rejoicing.  A time for thanksgiving!
The time that the most fervent prayer that God's people have ever prayed is answered: We know that you have it, God, this great power.  We are aware of the doctrines that proclaim your sovereignty.  What we are now asking you to do is to exercise that power that is yours, and yours alone.  Manifest it, oh God, make it plain for all to see that you are indeed Sovereign God.  Doing what you will, when you will, there being none to challenge you nor to withstand you.
Take unto Yourself Your great power, and reign!
But the Sovereignty of God is not something that will spring suddenly into existence.  No, it is rather something that one discovers has always been and, like the resurrection, is forever "coming, and now is".  Something hidden, something tucked out of sight, something that you can 'see' the moment you can 'believe'.  As Jesus assured Martha:
"Did I not say to you that if you would believe, you would see the glory of God?"
And as Jesus of Nazareth was given to demonstrate that which, doctrinally speaking, would seem to have been reserved for a future time... so the Sovereignty of God, that which would appear to be 'coming' will surely be demonstrated to be 'now is', i.e. already present with us.
"If you would believe, you would see. ."!
Even to the sovereign workings of your God.
As we have said, all of the men of God, with rare exception, have declared it. Abraham, David, Job.  Oh, yes, Job knew that it was the hand of God that was upon him, and not another.  And that there wasn't enough devils in or out of hell that could get to him if God did not o.k. the move.
But all of them played the game!
All of them acted-as-if calamity was often at the door and that there really was a life-and-death struggle going on between good and evil, God and Satan.  And if they didn't get some help real soon, they would be down the tube for sure.  Jesus also played the game.  The Son of God (or so it is written) gave a most convincing performance:
"Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared".
But he was heard!
And, although he did suffer, he was "made perfect".
And that by the sovereign will of Sovereign God.
What are the ramifications?  If our God is truly found to be sovereign, how will it affect our thoughts and our actions?
For one thing, there will never again be serious doubts raised as to the outcome of the race, be we tortoise or hare.  For the race has always been 'fixed' and the outcome predetermined in the mind of God.  For it is in that predeterminate counsel of Sovereign God that all things begin..... and end.
There remains only the speaking it "with his mouth" and the performing of it "with His hands".  Knowing this to be true, it is a truth that will set us free from self-doubt and instability.  We will recognize the fact that it is Sovereign God himself who guarantees the success of the venture.  And that neither the flesh, the devil, or 'any other creature' will be able to deny Him the full exercise of His will in the matter.
In the macrocosm or in the microcosm.  In the great events or in the small happening.  In our spiritual as well as in our material, Whether we ascend up 'into heaven' or make our bed 'in hell' . . ."Behold, You are there!"
Omnipresent!
Oh, yes, but more than that ...
Omnipotent!
Behold, while  'You are there', You are also having Your way.  Some discovery.
'Seeing' with our eyes that we had only heard of by the 'hearing of our ears'.  For when it is given us to believe, it is also given us to see.
The effect on attitude and action?
Profound.
Our 'enemies list' will diminished considerably.  Those 'fer' us and those 'ag' in' us will be seen as having been sent from the hand of the same God.  And even those who seek to destroy us will be understood to be our enemies only for Christ's sake, i.e. they too play their part in the implementation of the will and purpose of God as it touches the earth.
Now the doctrine of the sovereignty of God is not repugnant to any of us.  Indeed, to the most of us, it is a very attractive proposition.  Our God, head and shoulders above the other 'gods' of the earth.  Well able to secure and td defend our borders, the notion of our God as the All-mighty is comforting indeed.  But then there is the thought beyond the thought . . and that is where every potent declaration becomes troublesome.  While most of us are content to live on the surface of thoughts and ideas concerning God . . and have been seduced into relegating the 'deep' thinking to others, the surface house is no longer a house we can live in nor the surface thought one we can be comfortable with.  We simple must allow the box to be opened and the ramifications of our thought and idea to be exposed.
For it isn't the 'doctrine' of the grace of God that does save us but the grace of God itself.
As with the doctrine of Sovereign God.
If God be sovereign, then He is not sovereign in word only but in deed, a proposition that no man of sound mind will be able to refute or deny.  It simply follows that Almighty means all-mighty and that Sovereign means sovereign in all things.
Things such as who and when and where.
Who is it that will participate in the plans that God has made?
And when will these things be?
And where?
Questions which have exercised the mind of man since the beginning.  Especially religious man.
The answers to which have always been 'locked up' in the mind of Sovereign God, He who is the keeper of the 'times and seasons'.
And who is it that will unlock the door to the mysteries of God and discover the secrets of His will and purpose?  Who?  If historical records shed any light whatsoever on the subject, it will be one whom God has chosen and the man He has put His spirit upon.
That there is discrimination with God is obvious.  Not to face the fact is to be willingly ignorant.  A small tribe is chosen from among the many tribes of earth.  An Isaac instead of Ishmael, one brother (Jacob) instead of the other brother (Esau).
And the beat goes on.
God did make a distinction (difference) between "the Egyptians and Israel".  And, in the spiritual sense, still does.
And on into the New Testament.  Where a 'certain' man is chosen to be the forerunner and another certain man is anointed to become the messiah.  And that 'certain' man that was chosen goes about to choose twelve others, etc.
Choosings.
Sovereign choices.
And, although God is said to have loved the world to such an extent that he .. gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but should have everlasting life", He is also said to have retained the rights of Sovereignty, even there.  Or have you not heard (and read) that Jesus said that "No man can come to me, except the Father which has sent me draw him.. "
Controlled access.
By invitation only.
Of course.
No matter how it strikes us and for good or for ill, Sovereign God retains all of the options and the exercise of His will in the pursuit of His aims simply cannot be infringed upon without doing irreparable harm to the concept itself.  It is a subject not discussed in 'polite' religious company.
But it's a subject that must be gone into and a proposition that must be faced.  Our ability to hide from the 'hard saying' is an ability that is taken from us and a luxury we can no longer afford.
Not to mention our friend Paul.
And the horrendous things he has to say on the subject.
Even Martin Luther, as bold as Paul on most issues, and as dogmatic as  any, treads warily through the 9th, 10th, and  11th chapters of Romans.  Indeed, in his preface to the book, he warns us all to be very, very careful about what conclusions we draw from what we read there concerning what he calls the "providence of God":
"If we do not feel the weight of the passion, the cross, and the death, we cannot cope with the problem of divine providence without either hurt to ourselves or secret anger with God.  That is why the Adam in us has to be quite dead before we can bear this doctrine, and drink this strong drink, without harm.  So beware!  Avoid drinking wine when you are a suckling infant.  Every doctrine requires us to be of the appropriate ability at the right age, and of due maturity."
With that solemn admonition, he hurries on to chapter 12, 13, 14, etc.  As we have said, horrendous things.
Things that touch on the sovereignty of God in ways that both startle and amaze us.  And trouble us.
For we are used to the broad, sweeping generalities of religion only and are ill-equipped to handle such matters as are treated of in the ninth chapter of Romans.  Matters such as ordination, election, and pre-determination.  And the sovereign choosings of God.
Matters that raise again that specter, that bugaboo of theologians of every age, predestination.
That unwanted visitor.
That uninvited guest at our religious feast.  That intruder.
That which forces us to re-examine and to re-evaluate.  That which lays siege to the mind and emotions and threatens the very foundation of our belief structure.
Would our God . . ?
Could our God . . ?
Bear any resemblance whatsoever to the one described therein?
Who is quoted as having said "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated" . . whatever spin one might put on the words?
And, again, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." Or, how about "So then it is not of him that wills, nor of him that runs, but of God that shows mercy"?
And we must not forget the allegory of the potter.  The Divine Potter who has "power over the clay" . . making out of the same lump one vessel "unto honor, and another unto dishonor."
Etc.
That Paul would appear to have ignored the Christian concept of free will is astonishing, to say the least.  Little wonder that Luther tip-toes through this one.  If "whosoever will" turns out to be whosoever God wills ... ????
As I say, horrendous things.
Perhaps Luther is right, or, at least, was right.  Perhaps it is foolish for any of us to pursue knowledge simply for the sake of knowledge.  And were it not that such matters impact greatly on this day and on this time, it would be foolhardy and reckless in the extreme for us to venture further.
But it does impact on this day.  And it does have to do with we who inhabit this day.  Somehow, someway, somewhere, and at some time it must be addressed, this question of Sovereignty.  At some time it must be known ...
What about Sovereign God?
Is he really sovereign?
In all things?
Or is it a limited sovereignty?
If so, where are the limits and who has set them?
It is evident that we have bowed down to "false Gods", i.e. images of God that are not true likenesses.  And if it is indeed our destiny to come to really 'know' God, it is equally evident that we will not be able to shut our eyes to this aspect or that 'knowing' or pick and choose between character traits that we admire and those we abhor.
God simply 'is'.
And to know him is to know Him "as He is".
Past our image of Him and beyond our pre-conceptions of Him.  He simply is.
Which includes the fact that He is sovereign.
But if that sovereignty cannot, at some point, be demonstrated, it is not only not sovereignty but it is worse than that, i.e. It is a false concept.  The kind of concept that keeps the religious pot boiling but adds nothing to the spiritual stature of man.
Why?  Because it remains a theory.
And abstract theory, at that.
But the writer in the New Testament calls on us, as well as those believers alive in the first century, to:
"Prove all things . ."
And hold fast only to those things which can be shown to be good, i e. true.
"Prove all things . ."
For there are many things which appear to be substantial in theory.  But will they fly?
When the glue is put to the wood.....
When the form, envisioned in the mind, is re-produced in concrete and
steel???
It is only then a matter can be finally and at long last settled.  That the images created in the mind will indeed be reproduced in substantial form is the heart and soul of our presentation to you.  For they who are 'raised' will raise others, and the Third Day will give substance to that which has only been 'hoped for' and make visible that which has not been 'seen'.  And so we say.
A sense of the sovereignty of God.
One of the 'first things' to be returned to us.

The Return Of Power
"...To Him Will I Give Power Over The Nations..."

David said it best.
As he often did.
When he declared that "power BELONGS to GOD."
A simple statement of what he considered to be a fact.
"God has spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongs to God." A simple statement.  But, as with many a simple statement, bearing within it the seeds of a most radical concept.
The concept being that power itself is a personal possession of God.  That He is indeed All-mighty.  But more than that, much more than that, which brings us to the radical part.  If power actually belongs to God, then whenever and wherever we see power being exercised (and whether in heaven or in earth) that power that is being exercised has it's origin in God.
As I say, a radical thought.  And one that most of us are not prepared to think.  Of course there is general agreement among us that whatever ability or strength we display on the earth has somewhat to do with God's will in the matter.
As with Jesus of Nazareth.
Who, despite all of the claims men make on his behalf, was not the Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Anything-I want-to-do-I'll-dang-well-do-it individual some have assumed him to be.
No. Quite the contrary.
Whatever powers he exercised and whatever abilities he displayed, they were always exercised and displayed in the context of his relationship with his Father-God.  Indeed, he often made the point that he was the 'instrument' of God, one having an aim and a purpose on the earth in so far as the hammer in the hands of the carpenter might be said to have an aim and a purpose.
Why are you working, Jesus?
Well, I'm working because He (my Father) is working.
And the hearings and the miracles you are performing?
One of the most beautiful things about this Most Beautiful Fellow was that he always kept such things in perspective:
"The son can do nothing of (as from) himself".
And the power to defy death itself?
To lay your life down, and then "take it up again"?
Simply a power or authority, he informs us, a commandment I have "received of my father".

No. The son of David understood the principle and accepted the premise.  Power really did 'belong' to God and if he, Jesus, found himself in possession of any of that power that belonged to God, it would simply be power that had been 'given' him:
"All power is 'given' me in heaven and in earth."
Yes.  The Firstborn understood the principle and accepted the premise.  As will those who come after him, i.e. the The Third Day Contingent.  And, as they return and as they search out the 'truth of the matter', they also will acknowledge that truth and their lives bear witness to it.
Not that they will be first to hear or to consider.  No.
The principle has been articulated before and indeed, has been with us 'from the beginning'.  Even the king of ancient Babylon came to understanding, at least for a brief moment, and called the god of the Jews the Most High God, and "praised and honored Him that lives forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation.  And all of the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; AND HE DOES ACCORDING TO HIS WILL IN THE ARMY OF HEAVEN, AND AMONG THE INHABITANTS OF THE EARTH; AND NONE CAN STAY HIS HAND, OR SAY UNTO HIM, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"
Quite a testimony.  Quite a testimony, indeed.  Especially from an alien king.  But Nebuchandnezzar does seem to have gotten there before the most of us, i.e. arrived at a conclusion that we have not, as yet, come to.
Why?  A good question.  Why are we so reluctant to crown Him Lord of all?  And why are we (religious man) the last to know and to acknowledge the fact that nature has already born witness to, i.e. the heavens declaring His glory, the firmament showing His handiwork, the day uttering 'speech' and the night providing 'knowledge'.
A good question indeed.
Our friend Paul seems to have been just about the only one, excepting the Son himself, to sign onto the proposition wholeheartedly.  Of all the New Testament writers, he would appear to have been the only one who actually believed that which David had proclaimed so boldly, i.e. that power actually belonged to God.  And that the Most High exercised that power that belonged to
Him in behalf of His children, making 'all things' work together for their good.  Literally forcing circumstance to serve His purpose and the 'powers that be' to bow to His will.  As Solomon has it, even "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: He turns it wherever He will."
Wherever He will!
Oh, my.
That is a side of God that we have not learned; a side our tutors and governors have failed to reveal to us.
But Paul did learn and to him it was evidently revealed.  Or so it would seem.  For he did write as if he knew that power was indeed a personal possession of God and that God did, indeed, exercise it in accordance with a preconceived plan and purpose.  A plan and a purpose that included the idea of inclusion and exclusion, the raising up and the putting down, the causing of man to "approach unto Him". . or not, sooner. . or later, as it pleased Him and/or suited His eternal purpose.
Which is the reason, perhaps, why we have always shied away from the concept of Sovereign God.  And from the thought of God as doing that which is in His mind and that which serves His purpose.  For we have always desired, yea, demanded a God that we could 'see to the end of'.  An understandable God.  A God we could weigh on our scales and comprehend through our intellect.  But a God who acts arbitrarily?  And who follows His own counsel?
And has His own agenda?
That God we are not so comfortable with.
We really do not mind the concept of all power 'belonging' to God . . as long as that power that belongs to Him . . is exercised in a manner which suits our purposes.  To convert God to our way of looking at things and to harness Him to our will has always been the aim of Religious Man.
But the power that is to be returned is a sovereign power.  It is no less that that "law of life in Christ Jesus" spoken of in the New Testament which will once and for all time set us free from the "law of sin and death".  As such, it is that divine power and energy given to perform those acts which are in perfect accord with and in the context of His (God's) seasonal workings.
It is not a power (repeat) not a power given to demonstrate personal       accomplishment nor to insinuate superiority or to fuel speculation that     the 'gods' have come down to us.
No. A thousand times no.
It is simply God . . again . . at work . . in the earth.
But this power of God we write concerning will not be exercised in a vacuum nor will it be exercised without that element of 'in conjunction with' man.  No. Man does play his part and the drama is not complete without him.  And, in the Third Day, they who are raised will raise others, and they who are privileged to 'live' in his sight will find themselves in perfect accord with their God and with His aims and with His purposes.
Indeed, they will become the open door through which God walks.
And when God says, "I would do this.. " they will say amen.
And amen.
And power will be given.
And men will be glorified.
To the end that God Himself will be glorified. . again.
But the creation and/or dissolution of matter is not without it's consequence.  And the altering of physical form will not be entered into lightly, despite the legends of religion.  And we do have them, these legends.  Or have you not heard of Elijah?  And the mountain?  And the altar of stone?  And how he cried out to his God and how his God did answer him 'by fire'?
Oh, my.
And the disciple Peter, whose mother-in-law was sick with a fever?  A fever which abated when a certain Nazarene prayed for her.
Oh, my, indeed.
And the same Nazarene and the blind man.  A blind man, it is assumed, who had tried everything and gone everywhere seeking a release from his blindness.  But he was still blind.  Until ....
Until Jesus looked at him, had compassion on him, and prayed over him.
And his eyes were opened!
Oh, my.  Oh, my.
And we who believe, believe these legends.  We are assured in our hearts that such things actually occurred.  And that the heavens do touch the earth, on occasion, and when that occurs, it produces the phenomena we refer to as the miraculous.
Such feats are not unheard of, of course.  In the history of our planet, many have been duplicated, and every culture has it's legends.  And every true believer will swear as to their authenticity.
But a present-day demonstration is hard to come by.
Not that we don't talk a good game.  We most assuredly do.  But to cross the line between rhetoric and reality is not a simple matter.  And to produce that which we prophesy concerning?????
No. Despite the rhetoric of religion, current examples of the miraculous in operation are rare.  Today, should Moses happen to confront Pharaoh, he would most likely attempt a dialogue with him . . rather than challenge him.  Arid Elijah and the prophets of Baal?  They might very well prove their points by quoting obscure passages from the Dead Sea Scrolls at each other.  The point being that producing the certifiable miracle is not, by and large, the way we go about validating our ministry ... today.
That is not to say that there is not plenty going on in the lives of many.  Not at all.  Indeed, miracles are occurring.  And many can and will testify as to the unusual and the extraordinary.  They can.  They will.  And they should.  For many a time a 'voice' has spoken to them and many times understandings have been given to them.  They have been stopped from going down that dangerous path and rescued from that perilous situation.
Oh yes.
Many times.
And they will say to you that it was God who spoke to them and the Spirit of God who has effected their rescue.  But the subjective miracle is open, always, to critical analysis and the unbelievers will always seek (and find) an alternate explanation.
Such is the nature of the 'hidden' work, i.e. the subjective.
And such is the nature of unbelievers.
But that will change.
It is destined to change radically.
For the subjective will give way to the objective.  And God will again  produce on the earth the kind of  'miracles' that all can see with their eyes and hear with their ears.  The kind you can take to the secular bank and borrow money on.  The kind you can confront the medical establishment with (should such confrontation become necessary).  And confound the scientist with.  And submit for verification to the soothsayers convention.
That kind of miracle.
Of the objective persuasion.
That which defies rational explanation.
When Jesus of Nazareth arrived at the time and place for his 'showing' to the world, he was equipped for that showing, i.e. there were certain abilities given him that, when and as they were demonstrated, caused even the skeptics to take notice.
For those 'abilities' were very much a part of the proof that God would offer to the world. . the proof that this young Jewish man was, indeed, sent from Him . . to them.
Yes, a 'voice' had spoken to him from heaven ... but few had heard it. And, yes, John did testify concerning him . . but to a small and select audience.  And the scriptures?  Of course, but who could decipher them?
But the 'works' of God!
"But I have greater witness that that of John, for the works which the Father has given me to finish, the same works I do, bear witness of me, that the Father had sent me."
Jesus was simply saying that there would be objective signs.  Signs that could be read by anyone.  You didn't have to be a brainwashed disciple or a true believer.  Just follow the trail of the people who had been physically healed.  Check on the man who used to have leprosy.  Call the man's doctor.  Indeed, bring on the doubters of every persuasion.  Let them push and prod and pry.  Let them theorize and hypothesize.  And, if they care to, let them try their own hand at duplicating the feat.
And then. .
And then let them know and let them come to understanding.
The understanding that God is again on the move in the earth.  We can no longer hide our weaknesses under doctrinal blankets or behind dispensational caveats.  The works of God can only be done by the power of God.
The power of God.
Another of the First Things to be returned.

Postscript

There is a curse that is to be lifted.  It is the curse of impotence, the curse of barrenness.  We have labored, it is true, but we have brought forth only wind.  We have spoken but our words have fallen to the ground.  We have striven but not lawfully, cried out but not from our heart.  We have demanded our inheritance, but when it was given us, we have wasted it in 'riotous living'.  And every time that God has sent his son (the Word of God) to us, we have resisted him.
Little wonder that our house is 'left unto us desolate'.
Little wonder that our fields are laid waste.
Small wonder that the briers and the thorns abound and there is no water in the clouds.
It is a righteous judgement.
It is not some 'strange thing' that has happened to us.
For God himself has 'torn' us, the Most High 'smitten' us.
Why?
Because we have called evil ... good, and good ... evil.  And "put darkness for light and light for darkness" . . "put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter".
But, worst of all, we have stopped short.  We have put our hands to the plow and looked back.  We have also, like Ananias and Sapphira, held back "part of the price".
Indeed, there is little that could be said of previous generations that could not be said of this one.  In our neglecting of this "so great salvation", we have suffered (fully) the consequence, i.e. we have remained untransformed, unchanged, unfinished.
And every one who passes by mocks and jeers.
Saying, they "began to build, and was not able to finish."
Indeed.
And if our God is in to vengeance-taking we are all in for it.  All of us.  Without exception.
For we have all sinned, "both me and my father's house".
There is not an act that we have committed that is pure (as to motive) and John 10:8 is as applicable today as it was then: "All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers".
Who can but weep?
And repent?
And cry out for mercy?
Which mercy we will surely receive 'in the returning'.
"Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he has torn, and he will heal us; he has smitten, and he will bind us up.  After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight."

Selah

The Spirit Of the Pharisee - The Logos and the Rhema - BACK –

Spirit Of the Word - Covenant Eschatology - Introductory Note - New Stuff